A Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) truck is seen in the Belle Harbor neighborhood of the borough of Queens on Monday.

Written by

Jessica Bakeman
Albany Bureau

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Tuesday that he would form a powerful, subpoena-wielding commission to investigate utility companies' response to Superstorm Sandy and other major storms over the past year.

Cuomo signed an executive order creating an investigatory panel under the state's Moreland Act, a little-used, 105-year-old law that allows the governor to investigate nearly any state entity. It will review New York's power delivery companies' preparation for and response to emergencies as well as their management structures.